(I apologize for the crosspost, but only later did I realize this is a much more fitting subforum for my topic)
Here's a little concept for people to poke holes in. The drawing below shows two 500 kg class glide bombs, those are supposed to be something like JDAM-ER class glide bomb weapons. They are attached under a 6 meter long (or so) drone with a cruise missile engine. Something in the class of AGM-86 or Kh-101's engine. The drone itself has folded wings which are to unfold as soon as it's dropped from an aircraft. Basically, it should be sized for B-52 kind of plane, though it might also possibly fit centerline under a Flanker, who knows?
The idea is to have the drone continue deeper into more dangerous airspace once dropped, to be able to cross additional 500-1000 km, while keeping at above 10 km altitude, before releasing bombs. And then making another 1000 km or so back, to potentially be salvaged. It could, say, approach landing area on its own via satnav, before being handed to remote control which would precisely fly it above a 50x100 m net which might try to catch it? Being out of payload and out of fuel, it should essentially be a very slow glider at that point and might be able to be recovered the said way and then reused? (maybe with a refurbished engine?)
I think the whole idea is technically workable but I am sure there are issues with it. So help me find them. Making it fatter to hold more fuel is likely easy. I guess the payload could also be adjusted. But, if is to make sense, it should also be very cheap. Like a million $ tops, if not just half a million. So with multiple reuses it's even cheaper than most budget cruise missiles. Also, even if it's shot down with a SAM - it's not a great tradeoff for the shooter. Are such costs feasible, given it's essentially a non-stealthy cruise missile with simplest of guidance, no warhead, etc? Of course, the whole concept wouldn't work if the attacked party has a working air force - but that's not the point. This would be a weapon against enemies which lost most of their air force and which have compromised, but still working SAM network. A weapon to minimize exposure to your own aircraft, yet deliver bombs far into enemy lands, cheaper than it'd be possible with cruise missiles.
Here's a little concept for people to poke holes in. The drawing below shows two 500 kg class glide bombs, those are supposed to be something like JDAM-ER class glide bomb weapons. They are attached under a 6 meter long (or so) drone with a cruise missile engine. Something in the class of AGM-86 or Kh-101's engine. The drone itself has folded wings which are to unfold as soon as it's dropped from an aircraft. Basically, it should be sized for B-52 kind of plane, though it might also possibly fit centerline under a Flanker, who knows?
The idea is to have the drone continue deeper into more dangerous airspace once dropped, to be able to cross additional 500-1000 km, while keeping at above 10 km altitude, before releasing bombs. And then making another 1000 km or so back, to potentially be salvaged. It could, say, approach landing area on its own via satnav, before being handed to remote control which would precisely fly it above a 50x100 m net which might try to catch it? Being out of payload and out of fuel, it should essentially be a very slow glider at that point and might be able to be recovered the said way and then reused? (maybe with a refurbished engine?)
I think the whole idea is technically workable but I am sure there are issues with it. So help me find them. Making it fatter to hold more fuel is likely easy. I guess the payload could also be adjusted. But, if is to make sense, it should also be very cheap. Like a million $ tops, if not just half a million. So with multiple reuses it's even cheaper than most budget cruise missiles. Also, even if it's shot down with a SAM - it's not a great tradeoff for the shooter. Are such costs feasible, given it's essentially a non-stealthy cruise missile with simplest of guidance, no warhead, etc? Of course, the whole concept wouldn't work if the attacked party has a working air force - but that's not the point. This would be a weapon against enemies which lost most of their air force and which have compromised, but still working SAM network. A weapon to minimize exposure to your own aircraft, yet deliver bombs far into enemy lands, cheaper than it'd be possible with cruise missiles.
